How to gear up for the changing eCommerce trends

Over the years, eCommerce trends have dominated the online industry. Some of the eCommerce trends have changed the face of the industry and cannot be easily wished away. That is why many eCommerce websites and businesses need to follow these trends and stay updated with the evolving technology in order to keep the customers happy and build longer relationships. Below is the list of the top 7 trends in eCommerce that cannot be easily ignored.

1. Community building and Customer engagement

Customer building and engagement has been one of the most relevant eCommerce trends. Consumer demands are increasing every day due to the advancement of technology worldwide. When the customers can’t find what they are looking for on your website, then they look for other sources. According to a survey conducted by Retail Drive, more than 65% of consumers do their online research of the products before they purchase them. This shows that online user experiences are the key to more sales. Your eCommerce site, therefore, should be user-friendly for you to have more sales.

Community building is significant as your current customers will spend more on your online eCommerce shop and bring other customers too if they are satisfied with your products and services. Better customer engagement also improves the users’ first impression of your eCommerce site.

2. Marketing automation

Most eCommerce industry players have realized that marketing automation helps to reduce their operating costs and maintain good relationships with their customers. Marketing automation serves to build better relationships with the customers’ with your eCommerce store. This can be in many forms including email marketing. In the program, you can also include deals and discounts, coupons and lots of free gifts which will help your customers feel that they are part of your company. AI helps by monitoring what the customers are searching for in the website and tailoring deals and discounts based on their demands. Likewise, loyalty bonuses should also be included for longtime customers and those who have carried out numerous purchases from your e-commerce site.

3. Universal payment solutions

Most eCommerce sites are embracing various online payment solutions. For example, Amazon eCommerce site embraces forms of payment including credit cards and debit cards. The site accepts different credit cards when one is paying. A report done by e-marketer in 2014 showed that the U.S was the leading country in eCommerce marketing accounting for 55% of all the global market sales. Customers who pay online for their products want to pay for them through multiple payment options that they prefer. Having multiple payment options will improve the overall user experience of customers and attract more to your online store.

4. Mobile eCommerce

Mobile eCommerce has been on the rise since the introduction of smartphones. Previously, desktop eCommerce was the most popular but with the introduction of smartphones, most people have resorted to it. Running an e-commerce site without catering for mobile users is like ignoring the majority of your customers. According to marketer estimates in 2017 retail e-commerce sales reached $2.3trillion. The mobile share was $1.4 trillion which is 58.9% of the total sales. This shows that mobile eCommerce is the pillar of the eCommerce stores.

5. Social media marketing

Most eCommerce sites popularizing their services have resorted to using social media. According to statistics 2.46 billion people in the world are on social media. On top of that 71% of internet users are present on social media sites. Social media marketing is, therefore, a key player in popularizing the eCommerce stores. eCommerce sites are usually popularized through social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter.

6. Artificial Intelligence application

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the personal shopping experiences of customers in eCommerce sites. Machine learning has changed the face of the online industry. AI helps customers by providing them with more personalized products. The concept is whereby when a customer chooses a certain product, the machine learns through AI and later on when they are searching for other products their results are personalized based on their previous choices of products. This has resulted in improved customer experience and less time spent by customers when searching for products.

7. Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is the type of marketing where the eCommerce sites place to focus on personalities with influence over the buyers rather than the whole target audience. Influencers can be anyone and they are usually personalities who command a lot of following in the social media and the web. The influencers are selected carefully and most companies prefer individuals who have taken more time building themselves and their reputation. The eCommerce sites when using this trend assume that since those influencers have an influence on the buyers’ decisions including the choice of their favorite brands. It is carried out in many ways including celebrity endorsements. The results of these campaigns are usually improved brand recognition and increased consumers’ trust in the products.

eCommerce trends have been changing over time. New trends are expected to be introduced over time. Be sure to be on the lookout for other new trends in the eCommerce industry.

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